


imperceptibly

by nobrainjustchiakienstar



Series: a thousand autumn stars [1]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pre-Canon, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26239606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobrainjustchiakienstar/pseuds/nobrainjustchiakienstar
Summary: Things still aren’t quite back to what they were between the two -- there’s a nagging disconnect that no amount of trying to hang out again has yet been able to bridge, and their new status as third years has taken a lot of getting used to on top of that.Chiaki’s at a loss for words. He kind of wants to cry. “Kiryu--”“Well? You gonna try it on or what?”☆
Relationships: Kiryuu Kurou/Morisawa Chiaki
Series: a thousand autumn stars [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905991
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	imperceptibly

**Author's Note:**

> finally living up to my pseud... it's chiaki time  
> it's chiaki's birthday month! i had the crazy idea the other day to try to write a short fic for him every day this month until his birthday on the 18th (and then something special that i've never done before at the end)! all of the fics will be in a series instead of a drabble collection-style fic and are only loosely-connected at the most so it's not necessary to read all of them ☆

“Hello?”

Chiaki pokes his head into the dojo and calls out for Kuro, not knowing what exactly he’s supposed to be visiting for. All Keito had told him was that Kuro had something to show him, but that was early in the day and now, with the sun starting to sink outside the school after a long afternoon of basketball club practice, Chiaki can’t even be sure if Kuro is still there.

He spots Kuro sitting cross-legged on the far side of the room, with the telltale red fabric of an Akatsuki outfit stretched by an embroidery hoop in his hands as he works. He doesn’t look up when Chiaki enters the room; Chiaki has always admired his focus. Chiaki lingers by the door, not wanting to interrupt, but as the seconds pass the tension only grows.

Luckily, Kuro breaks the silence. “Gimme a sec, I’m almost done with this bit,” he says with a small nod in Chiaki’s direction, though not looking up from his stitches. “You can sit, yaknow? Don’t be a stranger.”

Chiaki lets out a small sigh of relief. Things still aren’t quite back to what they were between the two -- there’s a nagging disconnect that no amount of trying to hang out again has yet been able to bridge, and their new status as third years has taken a lot of getting used to on top of that. Chiaki knows, of course, that Kuro is still Kuro and their misunderstandings and struggles would only make their friendship stronger, but he can’t help but feel just a little awkward when he sets his book bag down and sits on his knees on the floor in front of his friend.

Kuro makes just a few more quick stitches before flipping his project to tie off the embroidery floss. Chiaki quietly admires how confidently Kuro’s fingers move, his years of experience making the precise movements look as easy as breathing. Folding the fabric around the hoop, Kuro sets it all aside and stretches with a satisfied groan, and Chiaki tries not to notice how nicely his black t-shirt hugs his biceps as he unintentionally flexes.

Chiaki clears his throat after a second, not wanting to think too much about the fact that he’s been watching his friend stretch as much as he already has. “Hasumi told me you wanted to show me something?”

Kuro grunts an acknowledgement before leaning to reach for his school bag, pushing his discarded uniform shirt off of it in the process. “I made something for ya. Close your eyes.”

A little confused, Chiaki obeys and shuts his eyes, his fingers twitching as he listens to Kuro dig something out of his bag. There’s a few seconds of shuffling followed by silence before Kuro speaks up again, “‘kay, open ‘em.”

Chiaki does.

Folded neatly on the floor in front of him is a red and white garment and Chiaki immediately just  _ knows _ what it is. He notices Kuro’s hands gripping his knees, waiting for a reaction.

He reaches for the garment, lifting it carefully off the floor and unfolding it like it’s something fragile -- it’s the opposite, really, the fabric feels sturdy and thick, like some kind of leather or vinyl, with a heavy-duty zipper running down the front and small gold rivets on the sleeves. Chiaki holds up the jacket, admiring the clean white panels on the sides, perfect seams, and the meticulously-stitched detailing. If he didn’t know better, he wouldn’t have believed Kuro made it.

Chiaki’s at a loss for words. He kind of wants to cry. “Kiryu--”

“Well? You gonna try it on or what?”

With a vigorous nod, Chiaki wastes no time standing and pulling the vinyl jacket on, zipping the front closed over his uniform. Kuro stands as well, helping Chiaki fix the collar and checking the fit; of course it fits perfectly, as expected of Kuro. Chiaki twists and admires the sleeves, noting that it’s all surprisingly comfortable and the heavy material fits just right to not hinder any movement--

“Morisawa,” Kuro starts, sounding concerned, “you okay? Ya started cryin’.”

Chiaki wipes his eyes with the back of his hand, coming away with tears. “Haa, guess so.”

“Do ya like it?” There’s a hint of worry in Kuro’s voice. He takes a small step back and Chiaki’s heart clenches.

Chiaki all but jumps at Kuro, wrapping his arms as tight as he could around his friend and yelling, “Of course I do! It’s perfect!”

“Woah there,” Kuro chuckles. Chiaki half-expects him to pull away --Kuro certainly has the strength to get the smaller boy off of him if he wanted -- but he’s surprised when Kuro returns the hug just as hard. “I’m glad ya like it, ya crybaby,” Kuro says into his hair.

They stay like that for a long moment, just squeezing each other as if making up for lost time. Chiaki can hardly breathe, but Kuro is warm and the embrace is cathartic in a way, like all of their past misunderstandings and arguments are really in the past now.

Chiaki is the first to loosen his arms, though he doesn’t let go when he asks, “Why did you make me a new jacket, anyway?”

Kuro idly runs his fingers over the back of a shoulder seam of the jacket, the feeling giving Chiaki a pleasant chill that he’ll have to unpack the meaning of later. He hums, and Chiaki can feel the rumbling through his own body as he answers, “Just figured ya needed a new look for your Ryuseitai, yaknow? Thought I’d get your okay before makin’ the rest of the set.”

_ Your Ryuseitai _ .

It hadn’t really hit Chiaki until that moment that everything they’d been through is coming to an end, and everything they’d built up and fought for over the last couple of years is finally  _ theirs _ . He squeezes Kuro again.

“Oi, don’t start cryin’ on me again!”

“I’m not crying!” Chiaki finally pulls away from Kuro, his hands gripping the fabric of his t-shirt at his waist. Chiaki will have to think about how he already misses Kuro’s warmth some other time.

“Yeah, yeah.” Kuro fiddles with the collar of the jacket again but he doesn’t pull his hands away afterward, resting them on Chiaki’s shoulders. There’s another long pause in which Kuro looks like he wants to say something more, green eyes searching Chiaki’s face for a moment before he clears his throat and looks away out the window. The sun has started to set, washing the dojo in a warm orange light. “It’s late… We should be getting home soon, yeah?”

Chiaki really tries to not feel disappointed at that and releases his grip on Kuro’s shirt. “It wouldn’t be good to be walking home in the dark,” he agrees half-heartedly with a nod.

Kuro must have picked up on his disappointment anyway, as his hand lifts from Chiaki’s shoulder and pauses almost imperceptibly by his cheek before roughly ruffling his hair. Chiaki makes a sound in protest, but before he can retaliate Kuro has already pulled away completely and crouched to tuck his embroidery project into his school bag and throw on his uniform shirt.

Chiaki wonders if he’d imagined Kuro squeezing his hand when he’d pulled away as he gathers his own things, carefully folding his new Ryusei Red jacket and slipping it into his bag.

“Don’t look so bummed,” Kuro ruffles his hair again when they head to the door of the dojo, “I’ll walk ya home, ‘kay?”

Chiaki feels so  _ warm _ .

“Thank you , Kiryu.”

**Author's Note:**

> gonna be trying to write a new chiaki fic every day this month until his birthday so keep an eye out for that!  
> next is kanata ☆
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/shiinyniki)


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